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VesselSat-2 (aka Orbcomm FM43, V2) was a Luxembourgian microsatellite built and owned by LuxSpace, and operated by Orbcomm under lease. It carried a receiver for Automatic Identification System signals, used to track ships at sea. VesselSat-2 was the second of two VesselSat spacecraft (see VesselSat-1), which were built by LuxSpace for Orbcomm, as replacements for the AIS capabilities of the failed Orbcomm-QL spacecraft.[1]
| Mission type | Ship tracking |
|---|---|
| Operator | LuxSpace (lessor) Orbcomm (operator) |
| COSPAR ID | 2012-001B |
| SATCAT no. | 38047 |
| Mission duration | Planned: 3 years Achieved: 4 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | LuxSpace |
| Launch mass | 29 kilograms (64 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 9 January 2012, 03:17 UTC |
| Rocket | Chang Zheng 4B Y26 |
| Launch site | Taiyuan LC-9 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | January 2016[1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 472 kilometres (293 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 484 kilometres (301 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.43 degrees |
| Period | 94.02 minutes |
| Epoch | 31 October 2013, 18:34:19 UTC[2] |
VesselSat-2 was launched as a secondary payload on a Long March 4B carrier rocket which was carrying Ziyuan 3. The launch occurred at 03:17 UTC on 9 January 2012,[3] from Launch Complex 9 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, and was the first orbital launch of the year.[4]
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